Archbishop McGovern says he’s excited, hopeful about choice of new pope

Who exactly is our new pope? What could it mean that he’s taken the name Leo XIV, that he’s an Augustinian missionary, that he speaks multiple languages, that he’s an American?

While the newly-installed Archbishop Michael G. McGovern might not be able to answer all those questions, he may soon know more. He is set to be among the first people to meet the new pope, the former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost.

On June 29, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Archbishop McGovern will join other new archbishops from around the world to receive their palliums from the Holy Father.  A pallium is the white woolen band worn around the neck as part of an archbishop’s liturgical vestments. The pallium signifies the archbishop’s unity with the pope.

In the meantime, Archbishop McGovern offered his initial thoughts about Pope Leo during a May 8 press conference at Christ the King Parish in Omaha.

Just hours after learning that a new pope had been named, the archbishop said he was excited about the news.

“There were a lot of questions about who would be the new Holy Father,” he said. “I think there was a certain kind of a soft prejudice” about whether an American could ever be elected pope “because the United States is such a superpower in the world.

“But the College of Cardinals in prayer, in discussion … was able to reach a consensus,” he said. “So I have a great sense of hope,” because of Pope Leo’s “breadth of experience” as a missionary in Peru and in leading his worldwide religious community.

As the Augustinian prior general, the future pope would have traveled to countries around the globe, taking in a variety of cultures, the archbishop noted. The Holy Father speaks multiple languages and is able to read others.

“But I think that sense of his background, his being a missionary bishop in Chiclayo, Peru, the fact that he addressed the crowd today both in Italian and in Spanish – speaking directly to the people of Chiclayo, where he was their shepherd – it all bodes well for the kind of heart that he has, the heart of a shepherd,” Archbishop McGovern said.

“He really wants, like those Bernini colonnades in front of St. Peter’s (designed by the creator of St. Peter’s Square, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, to resemble outstretched arms), to embrace the whole world.

Pope Leo XIV, the former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, waves to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican after his election as pope May 8, 2025. The new pope was born in Chicago. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

“So I thought it was very beautiful today, very encouraging, and at different levels,” the archbishop said. “I think this is going to be a real springtime for the Church, and I hope for the world.”

He said he expected that people would grow in love with the new pope, who seems to have a heart for the poor, the overlooked and the marginalized. 

“I think people will recognize the goodness in him and that they’ll warm up immediately,” Archbishop McGovern said.  “I mean, just look at the people in the square today as they were cheering and praying. … I think that it’s not just enthusiasm, but it’s a sense of love. And I think that level will really be strengthened as we begin to get to know Pope Leo better and better in the months ahead.”

The pope’s choice of the name Leo might signify his concern for working people and social justice, the archbishop said, the things Pope Leo XII, his predecessor, was concerned about. But Archbishop McGovern said he expected the pope to be someone everyone could appreciate.

 “I think he will want to reach out and to be a teacher, a priest, and a shepherd for all people.”

The archbishop urged people to continue to pray for the new pontiff.

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